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Get other websites talking about you: the links Google actually rewards
Knows how to tell a link that helps from one that's worthless, and knows how to ask for it from the local sites that actually count (trade directories, local press, businesses they work with) without paying for link packs that get penalized.
Your website is well built, you check it over and nothing's missing, but it still won't budge in Google. You start thinking it's something you did wrong, that a text or photo is missing, so you keep tweaking things that were already fine. Meanwhile you get offers for packs of a hundred links for $30, and you don't know if taking them will help you or sink you.
This course starts right there: learning to tell the link Google rewards from the one it punishes, so you don't waste money on a pack. Then you go to the sources that count and are within reach, in this order: your trade association's directory, the vendor you already work with, and your local paper. You finish knowing why there's no magic number of links and how to keep an eye on the ones you already have.
This is for you if your website is already live and you want it to rank higher on Google; it's not for someone who hasn't published a site yet, or who's looking for an overnight trick.
- Tell a real link from one bought in a pack, before you accept or pay for it
- Claim and fill out your listing in your professional board or trade association directory
- Ask for a link from a vendor you already work with, without setting up an artificial trade
- Know why there's no magic number of links and check the ones you already have every few months
Have your website already published; this course doesn't cover how to build one.
The 6 lessons
In the order it makes the most sense to read them.
- 1
The link you're missing when your website is already done right
You'll know how to read the sign that your search ranking is stuck because of external links, not a flaw in your website, and you'll have the ten-minute check to confirm it before you touch anything else.
6 min - 2
The link that helps and the one that hurts you
You know how to recognize, before accepting or requesting a link, whether it comes from a real website or a manufactured package that Google penalizes.
7 min - 3
Fill out your professional board or trade association listing first, even if it looks outdated
Decide to go ahead and join your professional board or trade association's directory now, whether that means signing up or claiming your listing, and fill it out completely, with the exact category, a description written in your customers' words, and a link to the page you actually want people to land on, instead of leaving it half-done or spending money on a pack of links.
5 min - 4
The vendor you already work with, over a purchased link
Knows how to ask for a link from someone who already has a real relationship with their business, and what to offer in return without setting up an artificial trade.
7 min - 5
The story your local paper will actually publish
You'll leave this lesson with the real fact about your business you're going to tell a specific reporter, by name, and with the email ready to ask for the link, not just the mention.
7 min - 6
How many links are enough, and when to check the ones you already have
You know why there's no magic number of links, that their effect takes months to show, and you have a routine for reviewing your list every few months without disavowing links out of fear.
7 min